they have him cheap, and they have my old chum Thripp cheap in the same way. Oh, they are a precious lot of swine, and I wish I had 'em here with me when we are out at sea. I'd tell 'em what I think of 'em, if I got the sack right off and had to ship before the mast."
Thripp the mate came by the cabin, and the skipper called to him.
"Yes, sir," said Thripp.
"Come in a moment," said Jordan. "I've something to tell you, something that will cheer you up and make you like the firm better than ever."
Thripp was also as grey as a badger, but not through age. He, too, had been a master mariner, and had lost his first and only command by running her against an iceberg in a fog. He had had orders to make a quick passage at all costs, but those orders were verbal, and his owners showed in court printed instructions that bade all their employees use extra caution in time of fog, even if a slow passage were the result. Therefore Messrs. Gruddle, Shody, & Co. got him cheap too.
"What's their charity now?" asked Thripp scornfully.
